Miles Quaritch
Colonel Miles Quaritch is the main antagonist of the 2009 film Avatar and the Chief of Security of Hell's Gate on Pandora. Having no regards for indigenous lifeforms, especially the Na'vi and considers them all expendable, he directed the destruction of the Omaticaya Hometree and led the SecOps forces in an attempt to destroy the Tree of Souls. He was killed when Neytiri shot him twice through the chest with her bow. Biography Before Pandora and First Days Before his tour of duty on Pandora, Quaritch served in numerous military engagements without injury, most notably three tours in Nigeria with First Recon. On his first day on Pandora an encounter with the wildlife dealt him a trio of trademark scars to the side of his face. Given the option to return home for reconstructive surgery he opted to stay on Pandora. With his impressive record he was eventually chosen as the chief of security of Hell's Gate. Chief of Security As Chief of Security on Pandora, Colonel Quaritch was responsible for the security of the Hell's Gate facility and its personnel, which necessitated keeping the Na'vi in check. Quaritch impressed Jake deeply and made Jake a promise that, in return for intel on the Na'vi, Quaritch would talk to RDA corporate executives and get approval for Jake to receive expensive treatment for Jake's spinal injury which would return the use of his legs and give him a service in the SecOps. However, as time passed he began to question where Jake's loyalties lay, believing his contact with the native culture to be distancing him from humanity. When Jake, in Avatar form, attacked a dozer, Quaritch personally went to retrieve him by force. Quaritch then proceeded to use one of Jake's diary entries, in which Jake lamented the hopelessness of convincing the Na'vi to leave Hometree, to justify 'offensive action' in leading air assault on Hometree under promise of relatively humane treatment of the natives. First firing gas, then incendiary rounds to flush out the Na'vi, Quaritch used several salvos of rockets to bring the Hometree down, actions which still resulted in the death of many Na'vi including Neytiri's father, Eytukan. When Jake, Dr. Augustine, Norm and Trudy fled, Quaritch was the first to act. Maskless, he picked up an assault rifle and marched out of the POC to empty it and his Wasp sidearm at the rebels as they fled, fatally wounding Dr. Augustine. The Battle for Pandora, and Death kills Quaritch with two arrows.]] Quaritch led the final assault against the Na'vi in a Dragon gunship. While the Na'vi's numbers appeared to give them the advantage, Quaritch's heavily armed troops quickly dispatched the lightly-armed Na'vi, despite some losses. Unexpectedly the tide changed when Pandora's wildlife, seemingly at the direction of Eywa herself, attacked the RDA forces in mass. With escorts distracted or destroyed, Jake Sully was able to board the Valkyrie containing two Daisy Cutter Bombs, and destroyed it, leaving only Quaritch in his Dragon gunship. Despite Quaritch's best efforts, Jake still managed to cause catastrophic damage to the gunship, causing it to lose control. Boarding his AMP suit Quaritch leaped from the Dragon before it crashed and advanced alone to the Tree of Souls. He stumbled accross the module containing the link pod being used by Jake, but was attacked by Neytiri riding a Thanator before he could destroy it, losing his 30mm rifle and killing the Thanator in melee combat, leaving Neytiri trapped beneath her slain mount. Jake's timely arrival caused Quaritch to focus on him, saving Neytiri in turn. Using the bayonet of the wrecked AMP suit's rifle, Jake was able to deflect Quaritch's attacks in a bout of fierce hand-to-hand combat long enough to land a piercing blow to the glass canopy. The damage to the AMP suit allowed the toxic Pandoran air into the suit, forcing Quaritch to don an Exopack. Realizing Jake's same weakness, Quaritch made a break for the module and managed to smash a window, an empty control link module, and part of a wall open before resuming combat. This exposed Jake's human body to the toxic air, interrupting the link to Jake's Avatar, in time allowing Quaritch subdue Jake. Intending to use Jake's own Na'vi knife to cut his Avatar's throat in a symbolic act of retribution for his betrayal, Quaritch's own life was ended by two arrows to the chest from Neytiri, who had taken the time to free herself during the fight between Jake and Quaritch. Personality and traits Miles Quaritch looks and acts like a life long military man. He wears his hair short and is covered with battle scars, most notably a trio of claw marks on the side of his head, most likely caused by a Viperwolf. He only respects force, and shows little respect for the Na'vi or their home. He destroys their hometree, killing numerous Na'vi in the process, without regret. He also brutally kills Neytiri's Thanator during their encounter and would have killed Neytiri too if Jake hadn't arrived in time to stop him. His long-running military career is representative of his personality. He regularly works out to off-set the low gravity on Pandora so he doesn't get "soft". He is in outstanding physical condition, despite being middle aged, and he has been known to forgo the Exopack for short periods when entering combat in the poisonous atmosphere of Pandora when he feels the situation demands it. An expert with his AMP suit, he is still familiar with combat techniques as demonstrated by his marksmanship and his hand-to-hand combat skills. Despite being a fierce and merciless warrior, Quaritch also claims to be a man of his word, indicating that he is honourable. He initially seems fond of Jake Sully but after Jake betrays the human race and works for the Na'vi, Quaritch tries to kill him. Symbolism *His final battle with Jake symbolizes the entire conflict; both are fighting with artificial bodies that are different in construction. Quaritch's AMP Suit represents the technologically advanced humans, while Jake's Avatar represents the organic and natural Na'vi. *However, as Quaritch himself alludes to, Quaritch's suit and Jake's Avatar are both the products of human, industrial science. This supports Quaritch's view that Jake is a traitor who is only fooling himself ("You think you're one of them?") when he chooses to side with the aliens, though we as an audience are inclined to sympathise with Jake. *More symbolically, an underlying discourse of the movie is one of industrialization vs nature, but the theme is literally embodied when the Pandoran wildlife attacks the RDA troops in response to their incursion. This is consistent with the film's environmental, anti-industrial overtones. *''Miles'' in Latin (mee-less) means "soldier". *There are some foreshadowing lines on the film, for example: **Quaritch at his safety brief: "We have an indigenous population of humanoids, called the Na'vi, they are fond of arrows dipped into a neurotoxin that will stop your heart in one minute" - He in fact dies at the end through two of those arrows fired from Neytiri. Memorable Quotes "You are not in Kansas anymore. You are on Pandora, ladies and gentlemen. Respect that fact." :- Quaritch welcoming his team. "It is my job to keep you alive. I will not succeed! — Not with all of you." :- Quaritch getting the attention of the 'fresh meat'. "So, you find yourself some local tail, and you just completely forget what team you're playin' for?" :- Summing up Jakes motive for working for the Nav'vi. "This is Papa Dragon. I want this mission high and tight. I want to be home for dinner." :- Quaritch speaking prior to the assault on the Tree of Souls. "Nothing is over while I'm breathing!" :- Quaritch speaking to Jake before their battle. "Hey Sully, how's it feel to betray your own race?" :- Quaritch taunting Jake in mid-fight. "''These dumb bastards ain't getting the message. Alright, lets turn up the the heat. Switch incendiaries"'' :- Quaritch to dragon gunner. "Come on, come to papa!" :- Quaritch just before killing Neytiri's Thanator. de:Miles Quaritch fr:Quaritch nl:Miles Quaritch pl:Miles Quaritch Category:Avatar Category:Characters Category:Human Category:RDA Category:Deceased